Harry Potter: After the War
by SortingHatStories
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, much had happened the epilogue in The Deathly Hallows had left out. Harry, Hermione, the Weasley's, and many others support each other through the grief Voldemort left behind.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Potterheads! My name is Ashley and I have finally succumbed to the pull of writing fanfiction. I decided I am going to just start out with some Harry Potter (my favorite series ever) moments after the war against Voldemort. Please comment, and I love constructive criticism! I hope you enjoy!**

 _I could sleep forever and that still wouldn't be long enough._ I think to myself as I clamber through the portrait hole. My glasses are smudged around the edges, indicating that Hermione's charm that kept them in optimal shape is starting to wear off. Honestly, I couldn't care less right now. At the moment, all I feel is fatigue. I know that in a couple of hours, all of the feelings I would much rather avoid will come rushing at me like Niagara Falls. Still, I minus well get some rest before it is impossible. Walking without really thinking, I trudge upstairs to my old four poster and lie down.

I am sprinting through the forbidden forest, prickling thorns slashing at my skin and the dirt swirling around my shoes. The line of trees seem as if they are on repeat. I am stuck in a never ending terrain, but before I can really take in my surroundings I have run past it. Suddenly, I run into the clearing I had met Voldemort in, but there is something different that I can't seem to figure out. Voldemort is there, with a sickening grin spread across his pale face, both hands grasping at his wand. He is accompanied by hundreds of death eaters, but as I look more closely I realize those people aren't his followers. Their masks are on, concealing their faces, but they have much different body types then the death eaters that infiltrated Hogwarts today.

Then, the death eater on Voldemort's right side starts to inch their silver mask off of their face. As the cover lowers, I see that the death eater is actually Fred, smiling as if he and George had just set a dung bomb off in the common room. I stare onward, unable to tear my eyes away. Next, Remus Lupin removes his mask, sharing a smile much like Fred's. Following Lupin comes Tonks, who reaches for her deceased husband's hand. Snape's mask falls, along with Colin's. Dobby is even among the crowd. Soon, hundreds of students from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have removed their masks, staring at me with their mocking smiles. Finally, every face has been revealed, and they all begin to speak in perfect unison.

"We fought for you Harry. We believed in you, and you let us all die."

I want to respond, tell them I didn't mean for this to happen and that I'm truly sorry, but I just stand. Stand, without even blinking an eye, staring at the people who had given up their lives for me. My eyes flick towards Voldemort's, and his smile stretches even wider.

"You will never escape us, Harry Potter," he says as he lifts his wand.

I jerk upright from my bed. Perspiration drips down my forehead as I gather my bearings. _I am Harry Potter. I am in my dorm. The war has just ended._ The war has ended. I begin to relive the fight, standing alongside Fred and looking at Lupin and Tonks, lying peacefully beside each other. Before I even know what I am really doing, tears pour down my face. Once they have started, I know I can't stop them, and I shrink into a ball atop of my royal red bed covers. I sob like I never have before, letting my grief control me.

Hours seem to pass before I hear the slight creak of the bedroom door opening. I don't bother on looking up at whoever is here, they will probably have the courtesy to leave me alone.

"Harry, you were missing from the banquet and I had begone to worry. I brought you a small sandwich," I hear a soft voice say, trembling slightly when my name is spoken.

"Ginny. I-I... thank you." I stammer, faintly aware of my blotchy cheeks and tear tracks. She doesn't comment, but she walks over and hands me a turkey sandwich on wheat bread. I accept the food graciously, and start to nibble on an end. We sit in silence as I chew on my dinner, both of us looking into each other's eyes. Her magnificent eyes, the color of green that seems to be made from the leaves of tropical palm trees, seem to be filled with ache and longing. I remember that today she has just lost her older brother, and is suffering just as much as I am.

"I am so sorry. This is my fault and to see this happen to everyone just-" I begin, choking on my words.

"Harry James Potter. Do not even try to place the blame of this on your own shoulders," Ginny retorts, yet her expression just seems to be tired. Sad and tired.

"But if I had just gone earlier or faster this could have been avoided," I reply, thinking of all the things I had done wrong today, consequently ruining lives forever.

"Harry, you have been the most brave person the world has ever seen today, and you have done the most amazing job ever. Everyone who has passed away from this war can now rest in peace because of you. So many people are proud of you Harry, and thank you," she says, planting a kiss on my cheek before getting up off the bed. I see a silent tear slide down her cheek, and I know the pain she is feeling right now is because of me. I could have saved her from this, and the thought makes me feel infuriated.

"I wish I could have saved you from this pain, Ginny. I'm sorry I did this to you." I apologize, hoping she sees what I see and will accept my apologies instead of just dismissing the whole issue.

"Harry, this isn't your fault," she says again, now stepping closer to me. "You would have made your parents proud."

And at that final word, I felt my walls collapsing as I rush towards Ginny. She opens up her arms and I crash into her, bawling as if I am 5. Everything we have been through is all coming to me again, but now I have a reason to be joyful. Now, as we both cry into each other's arms, we know that we have each other, and will for the rest of our lives.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone, I would just like to thank each and every one of you for reading my story! It really means a lot to me. I would also just like for you to know that I usually won't be able to update this frequently because I have a lot of extra activities along with my schoolwork. In this chapter I felt like I wanted to kind of show what Neville's life had been like through pictures, I was kind of doing an experiment on writing styles. I love you all and thank you!**

Ginny and I are together for what feels like forever, bearing the gigantic weight of our grief together. After a while, we both seem to be able to gather our senses, and sit back down on my bed. Her head rests on top of my shoulder, her eyes closed as if she if asleep. I try to distract myself by looking around my old dorm. Obviously, my bed area is completely vacant, the curtains drawn back and the bed well made. Ron's looks identical to mine, seeing as he went to search for Horcruxes with me. Over at Neville's dorming area, his mahogany trunk is placed at the foot of his bed, with the sheets rumpled. The trunk has everything neatly tucked inside, but it remains unlocked. Remembering how he had to camp in the room of requirement, he probably took all of his important possessions out before leaving. He has a couple of pictures tacked on his wall placed in a boxlike shape, leaving an inch of the wall showing between each photograph.

In the first picture in the top left corner, I see a plump toddler that must be Neville holding the hand of his Gran. She smiles, and her wrinkles are not as apparent as they are now. Neville seems to be in awe, swiveling his head to and fro, looking around. They seem to be in a meadow, surrounded by tulips in shades of red, pink, and white. They both seem so peaceful and happy, wandering around their springtime paradise. Next is a picture of Neville's parents sitting down at a dinner table. His mother is holding a sobbing bundle of blankets rocking it back and forth, as Neville's dad holds up a small baby bottle. They both have dark circles under their eyes, undoubtedly caused by their newborn son. Yet they both are smiling, happy that they have their own child they can raise together. The last picture in the top row is yet again Neville and his Gran, but it is many years later. It seems Neville is in around first year, and he has a giant cart of school supplies to his left. He is grinning from ear to ear, his excitement barely able to be contained inside of him. His Gran seems to be smiling with pride. Her eyes flick from Neville to the camera as she embraces him with one arm.

The next row seems to be all pictures from during the school year, the first one from around third year. Neville is in the Herbology greenhouse, and it seems like the Gryffindors had split the class with the Ravenclaws. He is hard at work, trimming a tree with snakelike branches. The tip of his tongue is sticking out, and he has a look of great concentration. I deduct that Luna must have taken the picture, because in the photo next to it Luna and Neville are both smiling and waving with their dragonhide gloves still on. The picture on the right is from fifth year, and I remember it being taken. Hermione had just recently bought a wizard's camera and wanted to take a couple of pictures so she could learn how the photos could move. Fred and George offered to show her how it worked in the Great Hall after dinner, and she accepted her offer. Everyone was leaving the great feast the elves always manage to provide, and Hermione rounded together some of her friends. Luna, Ginny, Neville, Ron, and I stayed behind and posed for the camera as Fred took the picture. George explained everything as Fred took our photo, and when it was finished he handed it over to Hermione. She then performed a duplication charm and gave each of us a copy, mine is currently somewhere inside my school trunk.

The last row is much more recent, almost all of them are from this year. The first one is probably from the summer, and it is inside of Saint Mungo's. Neville is in the middle of his mother and father, forcing himself to smile for the picture. Neither of his parents look at the camera, and they almost seem to be searching for a lost item. The picture makes me feel almost grateful that my parents had passed away, instead of being stuck in a state of being alive without actually living, like Neville's parents. The middle picture of that bottom row is again Neville and Luna, but they seem to be in the room of requirement when there was Dumbledore's Army. The only difference is that they are definitely older than the time Dumbledore's Army was around. I conclude this must have been when Ginny, Luna, and Neville tried to restart the club I created. Both Neville and Luna have fierce expressions, their wands in their dominant hands. The last photo is only Neville, and he is still in the room of requirement with a dummy in front of him. The dummy has a stick protruding from its hand, probably imitating a wand. Neville then demonstrates the perfect disarming spell, shouting the incantation so the stick flies away from the dummies lifeless hand.

"Neville did a lot for Hogwarts this year," Ginny whispers, gazing in the same direction as me.

"It is almost hard to believe he is the same person who lost his toad on the way to Hogwarts," I recall, remembering Neville blundering around the Hogwarts Express searching for his pet.

"Yeah," Ginny agrees, looking up at me. Her red hair is tangled, and she has a small gash on her lip. There is another deep cut on her right temple, with blood caked around it. Dirt is smeared on her forehead and nose, but the path from her eyes to the bottom of her face are clean. Her tears must have washed away any grime.

"Ginny, you got cut," I state, lightly grazing over the red line. She grimaces, and then tries to hide it, causing me to immediately drop my hand to my side.

"That cut is nothing compared to what happened to you," she sighs, concern washing over her face. "Where did you get hit with the killing curse?"

"My forehead. Isn't that written in every history book?" I joke, but without much feeling. Ginny doesn't laugh.

"Where, Harry?" she asks again.

"In the middle of my chest," I tell her, but my voice is muffled because I am also taking off my t-shirt. I hadn't exactly thought about looking where I got hit.

"Harry, you have another scar!" Ginny exclaims, her eyes widening.


End file.
